Free market think tank praises Utah for taxpayer receipt database

(The Center Square) – A free market think tank recently praised Utah for its fiscal transparency and hopes other states follow suit.

Mountain States Policy Center released a report earlier this week praising Utah for a tool it developed 10 years ago called taxpayer receipt.

The tool allows people to see approximately where their tax dollars go. They can enter information about their household size, income, home value/rent, cars owned, and miles driven.

The tax receipt then estimates how much in taxes the household pays to the state of Utah per year and shows a breakdown of where the state is spending taxpayers’ money. For example, this includes how much of it goes to public education, infrastructure, the salaries of elected officials, social programs, the environment, et cetera.

“By combining a taxpayer receipt with a tax transparency website and state budget transparency resources, policymakers can help put taxpayers in the driver’s seat to understand where their tax dollars are going and how much they are paying for those government services,” the Mountain States Policy Center report said.

While the think tank wants to see the tool made available elsewhere, Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf also wants to see his state offer a similar feature.

“The taxpayer receipt initiatives in Utah stand as a commendable tool, allowing citizens direct interaction with their government,” Woolf told the think tank. “Aligned with our unwavering commitment to transparency, Idaho is actively enhancing our Transparent Idaho website and looking to introduce a comparable tool in the future. Presently, the site empowers citizens with a firsthand look into the intricate journey of their tax dollars across state and local government. It’s about giving our citizens the robust knowledge of how their tax dollars dynamically shape the very fabric of the communities we all call home.”